Challenges aid success

After a successful battle with cancer, a young woman entrepreneur decides to use her passion to weave herself a success story.

It is passion that drives any business more than revenues. Shibori Designs was born out of passion to bring in new designs and colours in the textile industry.

Prakruti Gupta Rao ventured in to business to be out of her tough times. “I battled successfully against cancer in early 2010 and as soon as I was cured, I wasted no time to bring some colour into my dull days and started Shibori in August 2010, focusing on digital printing technology on fabrics. I realised how dull life can get sometimes in just plain whites and blacks and wanted to do something to bring colour in many people’s lives. I also wanted to do something with newer technologies and bring something new and interesting to the market

Talking about value proposition, she said, “Our value addition is in creating unique designs to colour peoples spaces. Our creative team ensures to bring a vibrant and harmonious feel to our customers in home furnishing, beachwear and nightwear products,”

Any business simply can not take off by itself. “I started with a small budget using my savings. I faintly remember, it was around `5 lakh. Since I was new to India, I didn’t have much local business know-how. Along with my family, an organisation called COWE (Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs) guided me with all the business setup processes and made my work much easier. And once you have the zeal and enthusiasm, the roadblocks just go away and you get the confidence to move on.

“There were many challenges at the beginning, where I had to learn about the industry from scratch, without much guidance from anyone. Then is always competition that keeps growing,”

When many students choose security over innovation, Prakruti chose the riskier route. “I like being in control and facing challenges, which were two main inspirations. I want to start on my own, rather than joining the workforce for stability and security. I wanted to take the risk and create something beautiful in the world — to make a difference and be the difference,” says Prakruti.

Talking about the industry, she said, “The textile industry is extremely competitive, and very price–sensitive. There are so many players in the market and you always have to be one step ahead of your competition, otherwise it is easy to get crushed. Having said that, there is a lot of demand and if you have the right attitude with honest products, one will always have good business.”

The company started exports and is looking forward to add many more companies to our buyers list. It got a operational breakeven in a year of its launch and expanded its employee base to 15. The business is growing approximately around 20 per cent in revenues every month. It also wants to increase its product portfolio and be among the top brands.

As a message to budding entrepreneurs, she said, “Nothing is impossible and always believe that you can do it. If you don’t know how, don’t hesitate to ask; if you know how, then don’t hesitate to help. You are the future — have the right attitude and keep moving forward.”

Tags: cancer, entrepreneur, Prakruti Gupta Rao, Shibori Designs

Category: Business, Business News